


Cold or Hot?

by melissima



Category: Black Jewels - Anne Bishop
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 01:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8947933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melissima/pseuds/melissima
Summary: Karla and Surreal go skating.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alianne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alianne/gifts).



Invitations to Glacia's Yule ball were coveted across the realms, but Karla would have rather been pestering her uncle Saetan at his keep, or at least hunting coneys for a winter stew, instead of sailing around a dance floor in skirts and painful shoes, entertaining a crowd of increasingly drunken, horny warlords and witches. She dutifully made a round of the crowd every hour or so, allowing the blood to make small talk at her. Morton had refused to allow her to wear something more comfortable, or to sneak out early. So she contented herself with a flute of champagne and a spot in a corner shadowed by the enormous spruce they had decorated for the occasion. It wasn't really a comfortable, or quiet, spot, but at least it kept her from getting too many dance invitations.

Her cousin and consort, Morton, emerged wine-flushed and smirking from the crowd. Leaning close, he purred in her ear, "I know a ball isn't really your idea of a celebration, cousin, but I would have thought the evening's romantic possibilities would have improved your mood."

"What do you mean, cousin?" Karla glared and plastered an icy smile across her face, glancing around at the warlords, none of whom seemed to pay her any attention. Good. Relieved, she gulped champagne as fast as she could without choking.

"I mean," he said, taking the empty flute from her and tucking it onto a tray that glided past on the hands of a servant, "simply that Lady Surreal hasn't taken her eyes off you all night, and I hear from Kaury she knows her way around a woman's body. You should try her." A minuscule tilt of his head indicated the green-eyed witch, twirling on the arm of a sapphire jeweled male she hadn't met. 

She stared, intrigued. 

As the twirl brought her around again, her eyes found Karla's. Unmistakable heat flared in them even as she spun away again.

Karla sputtered as heat crawled from her neck to her hairline, prickling with sweat. "Don't be disgusting, Morton. Lady Surreal deserves better than gutter innuendo from a warlord prince of Glacia, and you know it."

"How is pointing out the obvious an innuendo? She's been subtly tracking you since you walked in here, despite dozens of beefy Warlords making themselves increasingly ridiculous in search of her attention."

He had a point. As the dance ended, six or seven warlords were jostling each other just this side of impolitely close to Surreal, but she was making a respectable show of not even noticing their presence, except to select one of them randomly as the music began again. Her gaze rested somewhere over Karla's own left shoulder, where it might flick believably from her face when caught staring.

"Dance with me," she hissed, pulling Morton with her onto the dance floor and maneuvering them both closer and closer to Lady Surreal and her all-but-slobbering entourage.

\- K -

When the music died again, Karla leapt at her chance. "All right boys, I could use some fresh air," Karla clapped her hands once, ringingly. "Lady Surreal, would you like to see the frozen pond?" she slid her arm through Surreal's a little gingerly, giving the green-eyed witch plenty of space to back away if the contact were unwanted. 

"It seems a shame to miss an opportunity I'd never have in Khaleer," replied the witch cheerily. 

When the warlords made to accompany them, Karla speared them with her glare. "Lady Surreal and I will see to ourselves, gentlemen. Kiss Kiss!"

"I like that idea," Surreal murmured, her voice pitched too low for the assembled company to hear.

Karla's heart skipped a beat. _she means getting away from them, not kissing,_ Karla shook herself and refocused on what Surreal was saying.

"But I'd like a glass of hot wine away from all this noise even more. I'm afraid Glacia's beauty doesn't quite balance its temperatures for one used to more temperate climes," She gave a theatrical little shiver that brought the side of her hip into feathery contact with Karla's through the silky gown she wore. 

All at once, Karla was glad she'd let herself be convinced to wear the fancy attire she usually despised. She slid her other hand across Surreal's shoulders, rubbing lightly as if to encourage warmth into her limbs. Her heart thrashed wildly in her chest at the melting heat she felt sliding off Surreal's tawny skin into her own at every slight point of contact-- hands, hip, the front of one shoulder. A thrill tripped along her nerves as Surreal glanced under a fall of silky hair to catch her eye. Morton was right! The burn in that gaze offered something other than friendship. Something _very_ other.

\- K -

As they turned down a deliciously quiet passageway toward the gardens and pond, Lucivar spotted them and moved to intercept.

"Good evening, ladies!" he said, eying the two of them by turns as if tasting the air for mischief. "Enjoying the festivities, I trust?"

"Oh, Karla was just telling me how beautiful the ice pond is by moonlight," Surreal said, putting an eye roll in just the right place to point out the gaggle of warlords posturing for her benefit. "We were going to collect our sketch pads before heading outside."

"It's a perfect night for it!" he replied, allowing his long hair to hide from the rest of the guests his dubious expression, seeming to imply, if you're a polar bear. "Happy Yule!" He snapped them an overly cheery bow, leaving absolutely no doubt in Karla's mind that the Eyrian would next give the warlords a reason to regret their flagrant flirtations.

"I could almost feel sorry for them," Surreal whispered, her eyes sparkling, "Almost."

\- K -

Settling Surreal on an enchantment-warmed stone bench at the edge of the glassy pond, Karla had called in a flagon of fruity red wine and heated it, then a pair of cloaks which she also warmed. The ice skates she called in next made Surreal's mouth drop open. "Surely you're joking, Karla," Surreal peered at the blades fixed on the soles of the boots with credulity. "Nobody could stand on those, anymore than I could stand on a knife point."

"Watch this!" Karla said, levering herself to her feet and skipping lightly on her toe picks to the ice. She swept a wide, graceful circle around the edge, veered into the center, and spun, whipping around faster and faster as she drew herself up to her full height, feeling her short hair lift away from her scalp with centrifugal force.

Surreal clapped and whooped, smiling broadly but remaining firmly seated on the bench at the pond's edge. 

Karla skated close and stepped, again on toe-picks, back to Surreal's side. "Come try it. I won't let you fall, I promise."

"I don't wish to ruin this gown," Surreal protested dryly, her sarcastic tone belied by the slight tremble in her arm as Karla pulled her to her feet. "Saetan makes fun of me when I go through wardrobe, even though Jaenelle is far worse than I am."

"Uncle Saetan loves to spoil people," Karla scolded, "he just grouses for appearances' sake, so people don't figure out the truth -- that he believes all us 'young people' far too reserved and not nearly willing enough to outfit ourselves reasonably. He'd have us all to the tailor once a week, if he could."

Surreal laughed, and Karla took advantage of her distraction to walk her right out onto the ice. 

When she felt herself gliding along, though, Surreal startled and grabbed the front of Karla's cloak, gasping. 

Karla threw her arms around the slightly shorter woman, pulling her along and encouraging her to stay upright. 

A startled laugh erupted from Surreal, and then a ripple in the ice snagged her skate and sent them both sprawling. Karla's hip and shoulder took the brunt of impact-- not injured, just a little bruised and wet. Surreal hovered horizontally above the surface, an invisible cloud of Karla's magic supporting her. "See? I promised."

A sultry chuckle bubbled up from Surreal as she was magically returned to the bench. "I'm fine," she agreed, eying Karla as she climbed to her skates and made her way over. She took the Queen's shoulders in her hands. "But if you're done seducing me now I'd very much prefer to share a cup of hot wine, a shower, and a bed, instead of a frozen pond."

Karla gaped for several seconds, neither moving air in nor out despite her mouth hanging open a little.

Surreal decided to take advantage, diving in to kiss her deeply before pulling the young Queen's bottom lip gently between her teeth. Pulling back to find her still gaping, Surreal shook her a little. "Warm wine, or cold pond?"

\- K -

"Hot Damn!" Karla whooped, zipped the two of them through the icy air fast enough to warm them with the friction and deposited them both in the middle of her very large, very warm bed.

Surreal chuckled again, pulling at Karla's collar to bring her close enough to kiss.

Karla slid her hands between the magic-warmed cloak and Surreal's silky gown, reveling in the heat and suppleness under her hands as she explored every inch of tender exposed skin. 

Surreal, so much less shy, dove under cloak, skirts, and chemise to find warm, pale flesh to tease. Before long, Karla found herself clawing at the stifling layers of fabric even as embarrassing mewls and whimpers escaped her. She pulled a rumpled wad of the stuff up and used it to muffle her voice when a powerful wave of tingling, shuddering pleasure broke over her, turning the sounds into a wail.

By the time she had recovered enough to mumble "What in all the dark realms did you do to me?" Surreal had disposed of her own clothes and worked loose the fasteners of Karla's cloak and gown. 

"Never fear, I shall teach you my wicked ways before morning," she taunted, pulling her up just enough to extract the clothes and toss them off the bed. " And you can be as loud as you like, lovely. I've shielded your rooms from all ears."

A delightfully evil grin flickered on Karla's face as she kissed and nibbled a line directly from Surreal's mouth down breasts and belly. "Who says I'll be the noisy one now?"

\- K -

Dawn stole into Karla's chamber as a blue tint that painted skin, hair and fabric with wintry beauty. They washed and dressed together, arranging each other's hair in a wordless ritual of womanly affection. Tea-flavored breakfast kisses gave way to a dozy half-hour sprawled across the bed, breathing in sync. When the clock on her mantle piece struck seven, Karla pulled Surreal to her feet and kissed her soundly, before walking her to her carriage. Protocol or morning-after nerves made them reluctant to speak aloud, but a tight emerald communication flowed over and between them as they made the motions of public leave-taking between acquaintances.

_You're beautiful with snow in your hair,_

_You should come to Khaleer, swim in the river with me, I'll make love to you in soft grass under the stars._

As the carriage swept away, Karla turned to find Morton staring at her, his brow creased with concern.

"Don't stare," She drawled at him, jostling his shoulder playfully. "Let's go see if Uncle Saetan's Yule tree is as big as ours, hmm? Tomorrow?"

"Something tells me, cousin, that it isn't Uncle Saetan or his tree that you want to see," Morton drawled back. "So what happened? How are you? Did she--"

Karla dashed ahead of him to slam the castle door behind herself, chirping, "Kiss Kiss!"

"But--No, Karla I--" he slapped the door once, sighed, and bellowed, "You know It'll take me a quarter hour to walk around to the kitchen, you wench!"

Karla's evil laugh could be heard fading from the other side of the locked door.


End file.
